The Rulebreaker Read online

  The Rulebreaker

  NYT Bestselling author

  Claire Contreras

  Contents

  PAST

  Prologue

  Prologue Two

  PRESENT

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Also by Claire Contreras

  PAST

  Prologue

  Maverick

  The fact that our hockey coach is making us sit down and pen letters like we’re in the 1930s is the first ridiculous thing about this assignment. The second is that I’ve been paired up with a girl. A girl who plays soccer, not even hockey. What the hell am I supposed to write? I hope you don’t touch the ball with your hands by mistake? I sigh heavily and set my pen down for the third time.

  “Cruz, you better pick up that pen and start writing like Alexander Hamilton, before I kick you out, or worse, make all of you run an extra mile on your behalf.”

  There’s a collective groan around the room. “Hell no, Coach. Cruz, just write something, anything.”

  “What the hell am I supposed to write?” I look around at my teammates. “What are you writing, Rogers?”

  “That I hope she scores a triple.” Rogers shrugs both shoulders.

  “You got a softball player?” I frown. “Why did I get a soccer player? I don’t know anything about soccer.”

  “Who cares? The point of this is to learn, to lend an ear to someone who may need it. it’s not to recruit each other into your sport,” Coach says. “Just ask her how her week was, if she has a dog, I don’t care.”

  “Fine.” I sigh again and pick up the pen and start writing.

  Her name is Rocky. That’s a pretty cool name for a girl, so I start my letter with that.

  Prologue Two

  Rocky

  “That boy I keep writing letters to – ”

  “The one I don’t like?” Dad asks, frowning.

  “You don’t like any boys, Dad.” I roll my eyes. “But yeah, that one.”

  “What about him?” Mom asks.

  “He’s going to a sports summer camp this summer.”

  “A sleep away camp?” Dad’s tone already tells me everything I need to know without even asking.

  “Mike, let her talk. Jesus.” Mom shakes her head, sighing. “What about this camp?”

  “It seems pretty cool. They have hockey, soccer, basketball. It’s only like an hour from here, so it’s not even that far.” I bite my lip. Dad’s frown deepens. Mom’s face is serious, but I feel like maybe she’d budge. “It’s not cheap, but they have scholarships for those of us who can’t pay the full price.”

  “Do you have a brochure?” Mom asks.

  “Beverly.” Dad starts, but shuts up the moment mom shoots him a look.

  “We’ll be working all summer, Mike. This may be a good option for all of us.”

  “And this boy is going?”

  “Yeah, but it’s not like that, Dad. We’re just friends.”

  “Until he sees you.”

  “Mike,” Mom says.

  “It’s true. That boy will take one look at her and say he wants more than just friendship. I know how this works.”

  “Of course, you do.” I roll my eyes. “I think I can make my own choices.”

  “She’s right, Mike.” Mom shoots him a look. “Do you have his phone number? I want to speak to his parents.”

  “Ummm . . . ” I bite my lip. “Yeah, I think I can get his number.”

  I’ve been secretly speaking to Maverick for the last six months. We really are just friends though, which is nice, and contrary to what dad thinks, he’s not going to freak out and change his mind when he sees me. We’ve already also seen each other at the park and spoken there. He’s even joined me in soccer matches, so there’s absolutely nothing for them to worry about. All my friends have the biggest crush on him, and I get it. Maverick is very cute, but his friendship means so much to me and I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize it, so he’ll remain in the friendzone forever as far as I’m concerned.

  PRESENT

  Chapter One

  Rocky

  I close my eyes as I sit down on the bench and let out a heavy exhale. I’m so tired. I’ve been up since five in the morning, which is the norm, but last night I made the grave mistake of going out with some friends and we got home entirely too late for this shit.

  “Rocky, are you done with the weight room, or have you not even started?”

  “I’m done.” I don’t even bother to open my eyes. “I’m going home to take a nap.”

  “Maybe I’ll go with you so I can get a glimpse of those hot-ass roommates of yours,” Ashley says from across the room.

  I laugh, my eyes popping open. “You wouldn’t think they’re so hot if you actually hung out with them for a day. The only thing they talk about is COD and hockey.”

  “The only thing we talk about is soccer and hot guys,” Ashley says.

  “And hot girls,” Leyla adds.

  “And hot girls,” I repeat with a laugh. “I guess we’re not so different after all.”

  “Are they dating anyone?” Leyla asks. “Maverick and Colson, I mean.”

  “Yeah right.” I scoff. “They’re forever playing the field.”

  “I guess they might as well enjoy it while they can,” Ash says. “You know, before their penises shrivel up and they can no longer get them up.”

  “I am so glad I don’t have a penis,” Leyla says.

  “And that you don’t like them either,” I add.

  “True.” She laughs.

  I grab my bag and swing it onto my shoulder as I stand up, saying bye to my teammates as I walk out of the room and head to my car. According to the time, I have about twenty minutes to myself in the house if I get there as soon as possible. My roommates should be at hockey practice, or at least, their first leg of it. Our schedules coincide in that way. We normally have two practices a day between classes, and because two of us are taking the same online class, it means Maverick and I have the exact same schedule. Colson’s is similar, but he helps out at his uncle’s pizza shop on the down-low since we’re technically not allowed to have paying jobs while we’re in school. It’s dumb and part of the reason half of the athletes in our university are currently facing jail time, but that’s a story for another day. When I pull up to the house, I see Maverick’s car parked out front. I lock mine and walk toward the house quickly. I’ve known Mav since we were ten years old and I’ve never known him to miss a practice.

  “Mav?” I call out as I open the door and shut it behind me.

  “In here,” he says from the kitchen. His voice sounds congested as hell.

  “Oh no.” I let my bag fall to the floor by the stairs and finish walking over to the kitchen, where he’s sitting in front of a bowl of soup. “You’re sick?”

  “Yeah.” He sniff
les. “Fucking sucks.”

  “So you didn’t go to practice?”

  “Coach wants me to self-quarantine, you know, because of all the bullshit.”

  “The bullshit meaning the pandemic?” I back up a step. “Should I be near you?”

  “I don’t have the virus.” He shoots me a dirty look. “I have a cold.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I have my vaccines.” His brows pull into a frown. “We all do, so there’s no need to worry.”

  He looks so cute when he does that. Not that I’d ever say that to him. My best friend is hot though, what can I say? We made a pact somewhere along the way to never cross that line. A pact that I am absolutely glad we made because knowing us and our short attention spans, we would have one-thousand percent already broken up and made things awkward.

  “Well, let me know if you need anything. I’m going to shower and take a nap before class. I’m so tired.”

  “You shouldn’t have gone out last night.” He brings the bowl up and begins slurping the soup.

  “I hate that sound.” I groan and start walking out of the kitchen.

  “You hate every sound. I don’t know how you’re ever going to find a boyfriend and actually stay with him.” Mav sets the bowl down with a chuckle.

  “I do not hate every sound and when I find a guy who holds my attention and my love, I will cherish every noise he makes.”

  Maverick’s deep chuckle follows me all the way upstairs. I ignore the way it makes my heart bounce inside my chest, as if it’s the most melodic thing I’ve ever heard. I may suffer from acute misophonia, but that’s one sound I’ll never grow tired of. As I push my door open and glance at myself in the mirror, I realize I’m smiling. I shake my head with a sigh. I don’t think I have actual feelings for Maverick. First of all, this thing where I notice how hot he is, is a recent development. I never felt that way before. I don’t know if it happened after we moved in together or maybe I always found him attractive before and just never let myself truly look at him that way. Either way, I don’t like it. Maybe if it were Colson I had a physical crush on it would be fine. I haven’t known him nearly as long as I’ve known Mav, and Colson is hot, with his bad boy persona and tattoos, but when I look at him my heart doesn’t flutter. I push it out of my mind as I shower and dress in comfortable clothes—soft cotton shorts and one of Maverick’s old hockey shirts that fits me like I’m playing dress up with my dad’s clothes. The moment I see my unmade bed, I dive in, shut my eyes, and go to sleep.

  I’m not sure at which point Maverick comes into my room, but I don’t even bother to open my eyes when I feel the bed dip as he gets into my bed. He does this sometimes, just sneaks in here and sleeps beside me. It’s something my friends don’t think is normal and caused them to speculate that we were hooking up, but honestly, it’s not wild at all. We’ve been doing this since we were teenagers and went to sports camp together and have never even kissed. Even though my feelings are all out of whack, Mav doesn’t see me in that way at all and it’s better that way.

  At least, that’s what I’m telling myself.

  Chapter Two

  “Hey, Mom.” I beam at the phone screen as my mother’s face becomes visible.

  “Hey, baby. How was practice this morning?”

  “Good. Tiring.”

  “She stayed out way too late last night,” Maverick calls out from somewhere behind me.

  “Shut up.” I shoot him a glare over my shoulder, but it only makes him chuckle.

  “Hi, Ms. Bev,” he says quickly.

  “Hey, Maverick,” she says with a smile even though she can’t see him from where I’m sitting around the kitchen counter. “Why were you out late, Rocky? Where’d you go?”

  “I wasn’t out that late, first of all,” I say. “And I went to a party with Leyla.”

  “Hm. How’s she doing?”

  “Good. Same as always. Girl crazy.”

  “I know that’s right.” Mom laughs. “Did you already have your online class?”

  “Yep. Just finished it. I have to go to practice in an hour and then I’m going to work.”

  “How are those girls treating you? Do they still talk back to you like you’re part of their squad and not their elder?”

  “Nah, they’re nice to me now. I befriended Jos, and the rest of them kind of fell into place. I think they have a crush on Coach Dereck and therefore see me as a threat.” I roll my eyes.

  “Is Coach Dereck cute?”

  “He’s very freaking cute actually.” I laugh.

  Mom laughs. “Well, maybe there’s something there.”

  “Eh.” I shrug. “I feel like he would’ve asked me out by now if he felt that way about me.”

  “How could anyone not feel that way about you, Rock? You’re the most gorgeous girl in the world.”

  “You say that because I look just like you.” I smile. Mom winks.

  I do look just like her. My skin is a shade lighter, but my pear-shaped face, plump lips, and high cheekbones are all her. She has dark, tight, ringlet curls that frame her face, and my hair is curly, but definitely not as curly as hers. I get that from Dad, as well as my light green eyes and the annoying freckles that dot my nose and cheeks. I hear movement behind me and see Maverick walking up to me in the camera I’m holding up. He looks so good, his glowing caramel skin making mine look lackluster. He has a pile of brown curls on his hair that he never bothers to do anything about, and when he grins at the phone in my hand, that sexy-and-I-know-it smile of his, I think I may just fall out of the chair. But I don’t and I definitely do not let him know I’m affected by any of this.

  “When are you going to send us some food, Ms. Bev?” he asks, setting an elbow on the counter beside me and his chin on my shoulder.

  “When is your momma going to stop sending you Uber Eats?” Mom raises an eyebrow. “Don’t think I don’t know about that.”

  “Aw, does my mom go around telling everyone my business?” He shakes his head, standing upright. I laugh.

  “Your business? That’s her money,” Mom says. “You better start working.”

  “You know they don’t let us.” He taps his shoulder against mine.

  “Well, you’re most likely going pro after this season.” I shoot him a pointed look. “Some of us want to get ahead of the game and have something good on our resumes for when the time comes.”

  “That’s my girl,” Mom says. “Well, I have to let you go. Your father’s due home in thirty minutes and I want to make sure he’s fed before he goes back to the hospital for his shift.”

  “Oh boo, I thought you guys were working the same schedule now?”

  “No, honey, there’s been some drama in the hospital, so I had to take mornings and he’s working evenings. Don’t you worry about us. We’re both off on Sundays and will still make it to our Sunday ritual.” She winks. “Love you, baby.”

  “Love you too, Ms. Bev,” Maverick says before I can answer. We both laugh. I bump his shoulder hard with mine.

  “Love you, Mom!”

  When we hang up, I sigh heavily.

  “You miss her, huh?” Mav asks.

  “Yeah.” I pout. “I miss having our Sunday rituals in person.”

  “You’ll see her in a couple of weeks.” Mav puts an arm around me and gives me a side hug. “But if you need me to go to the movies with you, you know I will.”

  “Yeah, right. You’re the worst.” I push him off with a laugh.

  “I do not talk that much, Rocky.” He tilts his head.

  “You talk before, during, and after.”

  The door opens and closes and Colson comes into view as we’re talking.

  “What’s going on?” He frowns.

  “Who is the worst person to watch a movie with?” I ask.

  “Maverick. Hands down.” Colson laughs, walking toward the fridge. “He doesn’t shut the fuck up.”

  “Thank you,” I say proudly.

  “Fuck you both,” Maveric
k says with a chuckle. “I’ll try to work on that.”

  “I mean, imagine you end up with a girl who enjoys the movies,” I say. “That would be the deal-breaker for her.”

  “Oh, that would be the deal-breaker?” Maverick asks. “Since you’re so knowledgeable on the matter, why don’t you school me on things women like?”

  “Like that’s going to help you get a girl,” Colson says, still looking in the fridge. I swear he does this every day, as if something is just going to pop out of there fully cooked for him.

  “I get plenty of girls.” Mav frowns.

  “Yeah, groupies.” I snort.

  He does, too. We had to make a rule so they’d stop bringing random girls over multiple nights a week. They’re now limited to Friday and Saturdays only, and still, it’s uncomfortable and awkward for me the morning after since I’m usually in the kitchen making breakfast and have to witness the walk of shame while the guys don’t even bother to close the door behind them.

  “So help me get a serious one.”

  “You’re serious?” I blink at him.

  “One hundred percent.”

  “Okay,” I say slowly.

  We shake on it before I realize what time it is and start rushing to the door. As I’m driving back to campus, I start thinking about the deal I just made and wonder what the hell is wrong with me. I don’t know the first thing about what women want because I don’t even know what I want, but I decide I’ll start there. It’ll be a lesson for us both.